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how to: get out of debt

If you’re ready to get out of debt and boost your fiscal fitness, you’ve come to the right place. Staring at that huge stack of bills, fielding the unpleasant phone calls -- even just knowing you’re in the red can really drag you down. Luckily, we’re here to help you get back up! We have tons of advice for getting out of debt, including credit card debt help and an easy-to-use debt calculator to help you pay off debt. You’ll also find debt advice on how to renegotiate your credit card debt and ways to improve your credit (even before you’re out of debt!). Not sure where to begin? Why not give our 7 simple steps to getting out of debt at try -- they will definitely help you find your financial footing. Tackling your debt as a twosome? We’ve got plenty of debt advice geared toward couples. Learn about financial basics for newlyweds, including how to choose the right bank and when to merge your accounts. Peek into real couples’ budgets and see how they fixed their finances. And if you’re wondering where to find all that extra money to pay off debt -- don’t worry, we’ve got that covered too. We have debt help and cash-saving secrets from financial pros, and the money tips that spending savvy couples must know -- plus saving secrets from fellow Nesties. Finally, check out our tips to help you stay out of debt for good -- set up a household budget, plan your paychecks, and get credit smart.

Your Top Saving Secrets

Saving up for kitchen remodeling, flat-screen TV, or just a rainy day? Read how these Nesties stretch their dollars.

Since quarters and dollar bills never seemed to save up quickly enough, we started a $5 jar. --chicker

Raise deductibles on your homeowners or auto insurance -- that can save you several hundred dollars a year. --sara_c

I turn down the heat to 66 degrees at night. And I keep a rolled-up towel against the bottom of the outside door to keep cold air from coming through the cracks. --jojogal

We buy our red wine at Trader Joe’s. Our favorite right now comes in at $5. It’s called Trellis. --sonrisa

My FI and I got rid of the house phone and depend only on our cell phones. We both have the same company, so we can talk for free, and then we lowered our minutes to the smallest amount possible. --soooexcited26

We buy our drug store stuff at Costco. It’ll seem like a lot at the register, but the unit price is well below other stores (I’ve compared!). This also got me to give up frills like girly shaving cream (I use DH’s now) and printed paper towels. --SunMoon&Stars

I heard the suggestion to call my credit card company and ask for a lower rate. I had thought that would never work, but it really does! I couldn’t believe how easy it was! --flymansWife

I love TreasureTrooper.com. I’ve earned $25 to $100-plus a month doing surveys, cash shopping (you get a percentage of the money you spend at different online stores), and cash offers. --grrlygirl

We’re starting to eat down our pantry supplies, so I have lots of incentive to get creative with my cooking. --lilmufish

Definitely make use of your local library. In addition to checking out books and magazines, our library has a great movie collection -- we get tons of new releases! It saves us a lot and we don’t feel deprived. --FabulousMrs.P

Take advantage of the shopper reward credit cards at your grocery store or drugstore. You get coupons for stuff you actually buy. --Nestkatie

Instead of going out to eat a lot, I have started asking my friends to come over to cook dinner and have game night. It’s always a lot of fun. We play games like Catch Phrase, Cranium, Scene It?, and Taboo. --oct06wedding